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<div class="title"> Module Documentation: eml-coverage</div>
</td><td><a class="navlink" href="index.html">Back to EML Contents</a></td>
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<div class="sectiontitle">
            The eml-coverage module - Geographic, temporal, and taxonomic extents
            of resources
          </div>
            
<p>
            The eml-coverage module contains fields for describing the coverage
            of a resource in terms of time, space, and taxonomy. These
            coverages (temporal, spatial, and taxonomic) represent the extent
            of applicability of the resource in those domains.
            The Geographic coverage section allows for 2 means of expressing
            coverage
            on the surface of the earth: 1) via a set of bounding coordinates
            that define the North, South, East and West points in a rectangular
            area, optionally including a bounding altitude,
            and 2) using a G-Ring polygon definition, where an irregularly
            shaped area may be defined using a ordered list of
            latitude/longitude coordinates.  A G-Ring may also include an
            "inner G-Ring" that defines one or more
            "cut-outs" in the area, i.e. the donut hole concept.
          </p>
            
<p>
            The temporal coverage section allows for the definition of either a
            single date or time, or a range of dates or times. These may be
            expressed as a calendar date according to the ISO 8601 Date and Time
            Specification, or by using an alternate time scale, such as the
            geologic time scale. Currently, EML does not have specific fields to indicate
            that a data resource may be "ongoing." Two examples are data tables 
			that are planned to be appended in the future, or resources 
            with complex connection definitions (such as to a database) which may return 
			data in real time. It is important that EML be 
            able to  handle data from both the "producer" and "consumer" points of view,
            although currently the temporal coverage modules are designed for the latter.
            There is no universally acceptable recommendation for describing "ongoing" data
            within EML. Some groups have chosen to use the &lt;alternateTimeScale&gt; 
            node for the end date, with a value of "ongoing," although this practice
            is not endorsed by the EML authors. A better solution could be to use very
			general content for the endDate (such as only the current year) so that the 
			data are accurately described, and searches return datasets as expected.
			A future version of EML will 
            accommodate such data types with coverage elements specific to their needs.
          </p>
            
<p>
            The taxonomic coverage section allows for detailed description of
            the taxonomic extent of the dataset or resource.  The taxonomic
            classification consists of a recursive set of taxon rank names,
            their values, and their common names.  This construct allows for a
            taxonomic hierarchy to be built to show the level of identification
            (e.g. Rank Name = Kingdom, Rank Value = Animalia, Common Name =
            Animals, and so on down the hierarchy.) The taxonomic coverage
            module also allows for the definition of the classification system
            in cases where alternative systems are used.
          </p>
            
<p>
            The eml-coverage module, like other modules, may be
            "referenced" via the &lt;references&gt; tag.  This allows
            the coverage extent to be described once, and then used as a
            reference in other locations within the EML document via its ID.
          </p>
          
        
<div class="title">Module details</div>
<table border="0" class="tabledefault" id="eml-coverage">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"> Recommended Usage: </td><td class="tablepanel">all datasets where spatial, temporal or taxonomic coverage is important</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"> Stand-alone: </td><td class="tablepanel">no</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"> Imports: </td><td class="tablepanel">eml-literature, eml-documentation, eml-party, eml-resource, eml-unitTypeDefinitions</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"> Imported By: </td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"> View an image of the schema: </td><td class="tablepanel"><a href="eml-coverage.png" target="offline">eml-coverage image</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td colspan="2">
<h2>Element Definitions:</h2>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="geographicCoverage">geographicCoverage&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="#GeographicCoverage">GeographicCoverage</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Geographic Coverage is a container for spatial
              information about a project, a resource, or an entity within a
              resource. It allows a bounding box for the overall coverage (in
              lat long), and also allows description of arbitrary polygons with
              exclusions.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the individual sub fields for specific
              examples.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="temporalCoverage">temporalCoverage&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Derived from: </span><a class="sitelink" href="#TemporalCoverage">TemporalCoverage</a> (by xs:extension) </p>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#system">system</a></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">optional</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#scope">scope</a></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">optional</span></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">document</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>This field specifies temporal coverage, and
              allows coverages to be a single point in time, multiple points in
              time, or a range of dates. Dates can be expressed in terms of both
              calendar dates and geologic dating systems.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the individual sub fields for specific
              examples.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="taxonomicCoverage">taxonomicCoverage&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Derived from: </span><a class="sitelink" href="#TaxonomicCoverage">TaxonomicCoverage</a> (by xs:extension) </p>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#system">system</a></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">optional</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#scope">scope</a></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">optional</span></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">document</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Taxonomic Coverage is a container for Taxonomic
              information about a project, a resource, or an entity within a
              resource. It includes a list of species names (or higher level
              ranks) from one or more classification systems.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the individual sub fields for specific
              examples.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="singleDateTime">singleDateTime&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="#SingleDateTimeType">SingleDateTimeType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The singleDateTime field is intended to
              describe a
              single date and time for an event. There is a choice between two
              options: a calendar date with a time, or a geologic
              age.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the individual sub-elements for
              example.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="rangeOfDates">rangeOfDates&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A sequence of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#beginDate">beginDate</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#endDate">endDate</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The 'RangeOfDatesType' field is intended to be used for
        describing a range of dates and/or times. It may be used multiple times
        to document multiple date ranges. It allows for two 'singleDateTime'
        fields, the first to be used as the beginning dateTime, and the second
        to be used as the ending dateTime of the range.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the examples from the 'singleDateTime'
        field for specific examples.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="beginDate">beginDate&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="#SingleDateTimeType">SingleDateTimeType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>A single time stamp signifying the beginning of
              some time period.  There is a choice between two
              options: a calendar date with a time, or a geologic
              age.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the individual sub-elements for
              example.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="endDate">endDate&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="#SingleDateTimeType">SingleDateTimeType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>A single time stamp signifying the end of
              some time period.  There is a choice between two
              options: a calendar date with a time, or a geologic
              age.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the individual sub-elements for
              example.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="calendarDate">calendarDate&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#yearDate">res:yearDate</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The calendar date field is used to express a
              date, giving the year, month, and day. The format should be one
              that complies with the International Standards Organization's
              standard 8601. The recommended format for EML is YYYY-MM-DD,
              where Y is the four digit year, M is the two digit month code
              (01 - 12, where January = 01), and D is the two digit day of
              the month (01 - 31). This field can also be used to enter just 
	      the year portion of a date.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>2001-01-01<br>2001-10-12<br>2001<br>1895<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="time">time&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><span class="boldtext">xs:time</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The time field is used to express the hour
              (and optionally minute, or minute and second) of the day for an
              event, and should comply with the International Standards
              Organization's standard 8601. The recommended format for EML is
              hh:mm:ssTZD, where hh is the two digit hour of the day, mm is
              the two digit minute of the hour, and ss is the two digit
              second of the minute. TZD stands for Time Zone Designator which
              is used to handle time zone offsets. Times may be expressed in
              two ways: 1) UTC (Coordinated Universal Time, also known as
              Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT), with a special UTC designator
              ("Z"), 2) local time, together with a time zone offset in hours
              and minutes. A time zone offset of "+hh:mm" indicates that the
              date or time uses a local time zone which is "hh" hours and "mm"
              minutes ahead of UTC. A time zone offset of "-hh:mm" indicates
              a local time zone which is "hh" hours
              and "mm" minutes behind UTC.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>1) 08:31:22Z , which means eight thirty one and 22
              seconds in the morning at Coordinated Universal Time (Greenwich
              Mean Time). 2) 14:06:09-08:00 , which means six minutes, nine
              seconds past two o'clock p.m., Pacific Standard Time (which is
              offset eight hours behind UTC)<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="alternativeTimeScale">alternativeTimeScale&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A sequence of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#timeScaleName">timeScaleName</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#timeScaleAgeEstimate">timeScaleAgeEstimate</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#timeScaleAgeUncertainty">timeScaleAgeUncertainty</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#timeScaleAgeExplanation">timeScaleAgeExplanation</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#timeScaleCitation">timeScaleCitation</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel">unbounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>A name, code, or date describing an event or
            period in an alternative time scale, for instance as an absolute
            date calculated using a named dating method, or as a relative
            date that is drawn from stratigraphy or biostratigraphy.
            Calendar dates as provided in the ISO
            8601 dating system used in the standard CSDGM are not adequate to
            describe geologic time periods. Absolute geologic time is usually
            measured in millions of years before present, but may use different
            units and relative base times. Relative geologic time is measured by
            subdivisions of the earth's geology. in an order based upon relative
            age, most commonly, vertical or stratigraphic position. The actual
            dating systems used in geologic studies often tie relative times
            measured through stratigraphy or biostratigraphy to a particular
            absolute time using radioisotope dating techniques, among others. As
            these methods for absolute dating have improved, the estimates of
            the dates for strata have changed, consequently, it would be
            inaccurate to record absolute dates in situations where relative
            dates were measured.  This structure is provided as an optional
            alternative to the standard calendar dates provided by ISO 8601.
            <br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the individual sub-fields for specific
            examples.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="timeScaleName">timeScaleName&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#NonEmptyStringType">res:NonEmptyStringType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Name of a recognized alternative time scale.
                  This includes 'Absolute' as the name of the time scale for
                  measuring geologic dates before the present and names of
                  geologic dating systems that are arrangements of symbols or
                  names in order of relative geologic time.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>'Absolute', 'Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale',
                  'International Geological Time Scale',
                  'Oxygen-Isotope'<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="timeScaleAgeEstimate">timeScaleAgeEstimate&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#NonEmptyStringType">res:NonEmptyStringType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Either an absolute date or a relative age
                  name describing an event or period in an alternative time
                  scale such as the Geologic Time Scale.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>For example, '300 Ma' (300 million years before
                  present) is a Geologic_Age_Estimate based on the Absolute
                  Geologic_Time_Scale, 'C28r' is a chron name from the
                  Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale, and 'Maastrichtian' and
                  'Jurassic' are names from the International Geological Time
                  Scale. Since different relative geologic time scales are
                  often not aligned, multiple geologic dates may need to be
                  specified. For example, the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale
                  chron 'C29r', at the K/T boundary lies in both the
                  'Maastrichtian' and the 'Danian' stages from the
                  International Geological Time Scale, thus if you were
                  documenting this event using the International Geological
                  Time Scale, both 'Maastrichtian' and 'Danian' should be
                  included here.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="timeScaleAgeUncertainty">timeScaleAgeUncertainty&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#NonEmptyStringType">res:NonEmptyStringType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The error estimate for the alternative time.
                  This should include the units of measure, a description of
                  what the error estimate represents and how it was
                  calculated.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>+/- 5 Ma (Million Years)<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="timeScaleAgeExplanation">timeScaleAgeExplanation&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#NonEmptyStringType">res:NonEmptyStringType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The name and/or description of the method
                  used to calculate the age estimate. Detailed information
                  about the method may be provided through references
                  contained in the Time Scale Citation field.</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="timeScaleCitation">timeScaleCitation&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-literature.html#CitationType">cit:CitationType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Citation for works providing detailed
                  information about any element of the time scale
                  age.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>For example, a publication describing the
                  methodology used for carbon dating or describing the basic
                  geologic time scale in more detail could be cited
                  here.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="geographicDescription">geographicDescription&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#NonEmptyStringType">res:NonEmptyStringType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>
                
                  
<p>geographicDescription is a short text description of a dataset's 
              geographic areal domain. A text description is especially important to 
              provide a geographic                           setting 
               when the extent of the data set cannot be well described
              by the "boundingCoordinates", or in the case of data
              which are not specifically geospatial. Assuming the
              "boundingCoordinates" do not adequately describe the
              extent of the data set, the discrepancy can be identified and
              described here. The coordinates may define a rectangle around a
              country, with this geographicDescription element
              containing a disclaimer  
               and/or further details concerning the border.
             A study of the diseases of salmon may not have a
              specific geographic extent associated with it, but the salmon
               were collected in the states of Washington and Oregon.
              The "boundingCoordinates" might form a
              general rectangle around the states of Washington and Oregon, but
              the "geographicDescription" might describe the fact
              that the study took place only along
              certain rivers within those states. </p>
                  
<p>
              This data element differs
              from the standard data element "Place_Keyword" in that it allows
              a free text description of the geographic extent, rather than
              just a list of words or phrases useful as an index of location
              names associated with the data set.  </p>
                  
<p>This element can also contain information
              about the collection of the boundingCoordinates, e.g., an altitude value that is referenced
              to Mean Lower Low Water, or the projection system that the latitude and 
              longitude coordinates were taken from.</p>
                
              
<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>"Manistee River watershed"<br>
              "extent of 7 1/2 minute quads containing any property belonging
              to Yellowstone National Park"<br> "ponds and reservoirs larger
              than 2 acres in Jefferson County, Colorado". <br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="boundingCoordinates">boundingCoordinates&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A sequence of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#westBoundingCoordinate">westBoundingCoordinate</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#eastBoundingCoordinate">eastBoundingCoordinate</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#northBoundingCoordinate">northBoundingCoordinate</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#southBoundingCoordinate">southBoundingCoordinate</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#boundingAltitudes">boundingAltitudes</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>
                
                  Bounding Coordinates are the four margins (N, S, E, W) of a bounding box, 
              or when considered in lat-lon pairs, the corners of the box. These elements are meant to convey general 
              information and are not for accurate mapping.  More specific information may be
              included by using the elements in the spatialReference schema.
                  The limits of coverage of a data set should be expressed
              as decimal latitudes and longitudes, and in the order western-most,
              eastern-most, northern-most, and southern-most. By convention, 
              latitudes and longitudes are referenced to the  Equator and to the Prime Meridian
              (the datums), respectively. 
              By definition, the 0 and 180 meridians themselves do not belong in either hemisphere, 
              but local conventions may place them in either. All coordinates are typed as decimals. 
              Since all four elements are required, a bounding area that is a 
              single point should use the same values for
              northBoundingCoordinate and southBoundingCoordinate, and likewise
             for westBoundingCoordinate and eastBoundingCoordinate. 
                  In the case of a data set that comprises 
                    all longitudes (e.g., a horizontal band between 2 parallels that fully 
                    encompasses the earth ), please use a westBoundingCoordinate of -180.0, and an
                    eastBoundingCoordinate of 180.0 (or +180.0). In this case, it could be considered geographically                
                    appropriate to specify both values as "180" (or any other meridian), but this could 
                    also be interpreted as only the  meridian itself, so this is not recommended
                
              <br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the individual sub-fields.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="westBoundingCoordinate">westBoundingCoordinate&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0"></table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The westBoundingCoordinate field defines
                    the longitude of the western-most point of the bounding box that is being
                    described. A longitude coordinate is typed as a decimal, i.e.,
                    decimal degrees from -180 to 180, inclusive. Decimal degrees may be expressed to 
                    any precision desired. Fractions of a degree in minutes and seconds should be 
                    converted to degree fractions. Strings denoting direction or hemisphere (e.g., 'W' or 'west') are 
                    not allowed. Longitudes east of the prime meridian must be specified by
                    a plus sign (+), or by the absence of a minus sign (-), and longitudes west of 
                    the meridian shall be  prefixed with minus sign (-). In the case of a data set that comprises 
                    all longitudes (e.g., a horizontal band between 2 parallels that fully 
                    encompasses the earth ), please use a westBoundingCoordinate of -180.0, and an
                    eastBoundingCoordinate of 180.0 (or +180.0). In this case, it could be considered geographically                
                    appropriate to specify both values as "180" (or any other meridian), but this could 
                    also be interpreted as only the  meridian itself, so this is not recommended.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>-118.25<br>+25<br>45.24755<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Derived from: </span><span class="boldtext">xs:decimal</span> (by xs:restriction) </p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Allowed values: </span>
<ul>
<li>
<span class="boldtext">Minimum: </span>-180.0</li>
<li>
<span class="boldtext">Maximum: </span>180.0</li>
</ul>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="eastBoundingCoordinate">eastBoundingCoordinate&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0"></table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The eastBoundingCoordinate field defines
                    the longitude of the eastern-most point of the bounding box that is being
                    described. A longitude coordinate is typed as a decimal, i.e.,
                    decimal degrees from -180 to 180, inclusive. Decimal degrees may be expressed to 
                    any precision desired. Fractions of a degree in minutes and seconds should be 
                    converted to degree fractions. Strings denoting direction or hemisphere (e.g., 'W' or 'west') are 
                    not allowed. Longitudes east of the prime meridian must be specified by
                    a plus sign (+), or by the absence of a minus sign (-), and longitudes west of 
                    the meridian shall be  prefixed with minus sign (-). In the case of a data set that comprises 
                    all longitudes (e.g., a horizontal band between 2 parallels that fully 
                    encompasses the earth ), please use a westBoundingCoordinate of -180.0, and an
                    eastBoundingCoordinate of 180.0 (or +180.0). In this case, it could be considered geographically                
                    appropriate to specify both values as "180" (or any other meridian), but this could 
                    also be interpreted as only the  meridian itself, so this is not recommended.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>-118.25<br>+25<br>45.24755<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Derived from: </span><span class="boldtext">xs:decimal</span> (by xs:restriction) </p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Allowed values: </span>
<ul>
<li>
<span class="boldtext">Minimum: </span>-180.0</li>
<li>
<span class="boldtext">Maximum: </span>180.0</li>
</ul>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="northBoundingCoordinate">northBoundingCoordinate&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0"></table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The northBoundingCoordinate field defines
                    the latitude of the northern-most point of the bounding box that is being
                    described. A latitude coordinate is typed as a decimal, i.e.,
                    decimal degrees from -180 to 180, inclusive. Decimal degrees may be expressed to 
                    any precision desired. Fractions of a degree in minutes and seconds should be 
                    converted to degree fractions. Strings denoting direction or hemisphere (e.g., 'N' or north') are 
                    not allowed. Latitudes north of the equator must be denoted by
                    a plus sign (+), or by the absence of a minus sign (-), and latitudes south of 
                    the equator shall be  prefixed with minus sign (-).  A location with latitude of +90 (90)
                     or -90 degrees will specify the position at the North or South Pole,
                    respectively.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>-18.25<br>+25<br>65.24755<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Derived from: </span><span class="boldtext">xs:decimal</span> (by xs:restriction) </p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Allowed values: </span>
<ul>
<li>
<span class="boldtext">Minimum: </span>-90.0</li>
<li>
<span class="boldtext">Maximum: </span>90.0</li>
</ul>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="southBoundingCoordinate">southBoundingCoordinate&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0"></table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The southBoundingCoordinate field defines
                    the latitude of the southern-most point of the bounding box that is being
                    described. A latitude coordinate is typed as a decimal, i.e.,
                    decimal degrees from -180 to 180, inclusive. Decimal degrees may be expressed to 
                    any precision desired. Fractions of a degree in minutes and seconds should be 
                    converted to degree fractions. Strings denoting direction or hemisphere (e.g., 'N' or north') are 
                    not allowed. Latitudes north of the equator must be denoted by
                    a plus sign (+), or by the absence of a minus sign (-), and latitudes south of 
                    the equator shall be  prefixed with minus sign (-).  A location with latitude of +90 (90)
                     or -90 degrees will specify the position at the North or South Pole,
                    respectively.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>-118.25<br>+25<br>84.24755<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Derived from: </span><span class="boldtext">xs:decimal</span> (by xs:restriction) </p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Allowed values: </span>
<ul>
<li>
<span class="boldtext">Minimum: </span>-90.0</li>
<li>
<span class="boldtext">Maximum: </span>90.0</li>
</ul>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="boundingAltitudes">boundingAltitudes&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A sequence of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#altitudeMinimum">altitudeMinimum</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#altitudeMaximum">altitudeMaximum</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#altitudeUnits">altitudeUnits</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The bounding altitude field is intended to
                    contain altitudinal (elevation) measurements for
                    the bounding box being described. It allows for minimum and
                    maximum altitude fields, as well as a field for the units
                    of measure. The combination of these fields provide the
                    vertical extent information for the bounding box. <br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the individual sub-fields for
                    specific examples.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="altitudeMinimum">altitudeMinimum&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><span class="boldtext">xs:decimal</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The minimum altitude extent of
                          coverage for the bounding box that is being
                          described. The minimum altitude should be in
                          reference to a known datum (e.g., Mean Sea Level), which should be part of the geographicDescription.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>100.6 <br>-12 <br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="altitudeMaximum">altitudeMaximum&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><span class="boldtext">xs:decimal</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The maximum altitude extent of
                          coverage for the bounding box that is being
                          described. The maximum altitude should be in
                          reference to a known datum, which should be part of the geographicDescription.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>100.6<br>-10<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="altitudeUnits">altitudeUnits&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-unitTypeDefinitions.html#LengthUnitType">unit:LengthUnitType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The unit that the altitude is expressed in. See the description under the Type definition</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="datasetGPolygon">datasetGPolygon&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A sequence of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#datasetGPolygonOuterGRing">datasetGPolygonOuterGRing</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#datasetGPolygonExclusionGRing">datasetGPolygonExclusionGRing</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel">unbounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>This construct creates a spatial ring with a
              hollow center.  This doughnut shape is specified by the outer
              ring (datasetGPolygonOuterRing) and the inner exclusion zone
              (datasetGPolygonExclusionGRing) which can be thought of as the
              hole in the center of a doughnut.  This is useful for defining
              areas such as the shores of a pond where you only want to specify
              the shore excluding the pond itself.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the individual sub-fields for specific
              examples.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="datasetGPolygonOuterGRing">datasetGPolygonOuterGRing&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A choice of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A sequence of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#gRingPoint">gRingPoint</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel">unbounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> OR </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#gRing">gRing</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>
                      
                        
<p>The outer containment loop of a
                    datasetGPolygon.  This is the outer part of the doughnut
                    shape that encompasses the broadest area of coverage. 
                    It can be created either by a gRing (list of points) or 3 or more gRingPoints. 
                    See the sub-elements and their Type definitions for more specific 
                    information.</p>
                        
<p>
                    This element is generally analogous to the FGDC outer ring although
                    somewhat differently specified.  Documentation for an FGDC G-Ring 
                    states that 4 points are required 
                    to define a polygon, and the first and last should be identical. 
                    However this is not enforceable in XML Schema, and so in EML
                    a minimum of 3 &lt;gRingPoint&gt;s is required to define a polygon, and
                    it can be assumed that a polygon is closed by joining the last point to the
                    first.
                    XSL stylesheets that transform EML instances to the FGDC specification 
                    should repeat the first gRingPoint node as the last when creating a list of points.
                    </p>
                      
                    
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="gRingPoint">gRingPoint&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="#GRingPointType">GRingPointType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>A single geographic location.  As a child of &lt;datasetGPolygonOuterGRing&gt;
                            a minimum of 3 are required to define a polygon. The polygon is presumed to be closed. Please see the sub elements and the Type description for more information about creating a point location.</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="gRing">gRing&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="#GRingType">GRingType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>A set of ordered pairs of floating-point numbers,
        The number of points in the string is not enforced by EML. 
        However, authors should note that in order for this field is to be directly translated to FGDC, 4 points should
        be included in the string. See the Type for more information on constructing the string. </blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="datasetGPolygonExclusionGRing">datasetGPolygonExclusionGRing&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A choice of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#gRingPoint">gRingPoint</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel">unbounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> OR </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#gRing">gRing</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>
                      
                        
<p> the
                    closed nonintersecting boundary of a void area (or hole in
                    an interior area).  This is the center of the doughnut
                    shape created by the datasetGPolygon. It can be created either by
                    a gRing (list of points) or one or more gRingPoints. See the sub-elements and their 
                    Type definitions for more information.</p>
                        
<p>
                        This element is generally analogous to an FGDC exclusion ring "Data Set G-Polygon 
                        Exclusion G-Ring", although it's children are
                    somewhat differently described.  Documentation for the FGDC component states that
                    4 points are required to define a polygon, and the first and last should be identical. 
                    However this EML element requires only one point so that a single point can be
                    excluded,  presumably, a single station.  If multiple single stations are to be 
                    excluded, then authors should include multiple &lt;datasetGPolygonExclusionGRing&gt;s.
                                                </p>
                      
                    
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="gRingPoint">gRingPoint&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="#GRingPointType">GRingPointType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>A single geographic location.  This is useful if you
        register your datasets by a single geospatial point, such as the
        lat/long of your research station. Please see the sub elements and the Type description 
		for more information on constructing a gRingPoint</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="gRing">gRing&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="#GRingType">GRingType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>A set of ordered pairs of floating-point numbers,
        See the Type for more information</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="gRingLatitude">gRingLatitude&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0"></table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote> A latitude coordinate is typed as a decimal, i.e.,
                    decimal degrees from -90 to 90, inclusive. Decimal degrees may be expressed to 
                    any precision desired. Fractions of a degree in minutes and seconds should be 
                    converted to degree fractions. Strings denoting direction or hemisphere (e.g., 'S' or 'south') are 
                    not allowed. Latitudes north of the equator must be specified by
                    a plus sign (+), or by the absence of a minus sign (-), and latitudes south of 
                    the equator shall be  prefixed with minus sign (-). <br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>34.123<br>-18.25<br>+78.25<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Derived from: </span><span class="boldtext">xs:decimal</span> (by xs:restriction) </p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Allowed values: </span>
<ul>
<li>
<span class="boldtext">Minimum: </span>-90.0</li>
<li>
<span class="boldtext">Maximum: </span>90.0</li>
</ul>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="gRingLongitude">gRingLongitude&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0"></table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The longitude of a point of the
            g-ring A longitude coordinate is typed as a decimal, i.e.,
                    decimal degrees from -180 to 180, inclusive. Decimal degrees may be expressed to 
                    any precision desired. Fractions of a degree in minutes and seconds should be 
                    converted to degree fractions. Strings denoting direction or hemisphere (e.g., 'W' or 'west') are 
                    not allowed. Longitudes east of the prime meridian must be specified by
                    a plus sign (+), or by the absence of a minus sign (-), and longitudes west of 
                    the meridian shall be  prefixed with minus sign (-).<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>-118.25<br>+25<br>45.24755<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Derived from: </span><span class="boldtext">xs:decimal</span> (by xs:restriction) </p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Allowed values: </span>
<ul>
<li>
<span class="boldtext">Minimum: </span>-180.0</li>
<li>
<span class="boldtext">Maximum: </span>180.0</li>
</ul>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="taxonomicSystem">taxonomicSystem&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A sequence of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#classificationSystem">classificationSystem</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel">unbounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#identificationReference">identificationReference</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel">unbounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#identifierName">identifierName</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel">unbounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#taxonomicProcedures">taxonomicProcedures</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#taxonomicCompleteness">taxonomicCompleteness</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#vouchers">vouchers</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel">unbounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Documentation of taxonomic sources, procedures,
              and treatments.</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="classificationSystem">classificationSystem&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A sequence of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#classificationSystemCitation">classificationSystemCitation</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#classificationSystemModifications">classificationSystemModifications</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Information about the classification
                    system or authority used.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Flora of North America<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="classificationSystemCitation">classificationSystemCitation&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-literature.html#CitationType">cit:CitationType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Relevant literature for documenting
                          the used classification system.</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="classificationSystemModifications">classificationSystemModifications&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#NonEmptyStringType">res:NonEmptyStringType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>A description of any modifications
                          or exceptions made to the classification system or
                          authority used.</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="identificationReference">identificationReference&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-literature.html#CitationType">cit:CitationType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Information on any non-authoritative
                    materials (e.g. field guides) useful for reconstructing the
                    actual identification process.</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="identifierName">identifierName&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-party.html#ResponsibleParty">rp:ResponsibleParty</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Information about the individual(s)
                    responsible for the identification(s) of the specimens or
                    sightings, etc.</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="taxonomicProcedures">taxonomicProcedures&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#NonEmptyStringType">res:NonEmptyStringType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Description of the methods used for the
                    taxonomic identification.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>specimen processing, comparison with museum
                    materials, keys and key characters, chemical or genetic
                    analyses<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="taxonomicCompleteness">taxonomicCompleteness&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#NonEmptyStringType">res:NonEmptyStringType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Information concerning the proportions and
                    treatment of unidentified materials, estimates of the
                    importance and possible identities of uncertain
                    determinations, synonyms or other incorrect usages, taxa
                    not well treated or requiring further work, and expertise
                    of field workers.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>materials sent to experts, and not yet
                    determined<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="vouchers">vouchers&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A sequence of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#specimen">specimen</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#repository">repository</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Information on the types of specimen, the
                    repository, and the individuals who identified the
                    vouchers.</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="specimen">specimen&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#NonEmptyStringType">res:NonEmptyStringType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>A word or phrase describing the type
                          of specimen collected.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>herbarium specimens, blood samples,
                          photographs, individuals, or batches<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="repository">repository&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A sequence of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#originator">originator</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel">unbounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Information about the curator or
                          contact person and/or agency responsible for the
                          specimens.</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="originator">originator&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-party.html#ResponsibleParty">rp:ResponsibleParty</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The 'originator' element
                                provides the full name of the person,
                                organization, or position associated with the
                                resource. Typically, the originator role is set
                                to "owner" to indicate the list of parties who
                                "own" the resource, but other roles such as
                                "principal investigator", "author", and
                                "editor" are provided.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the examples within the
                                sub fields for the responsible
                                party.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="generalTaxonomicCoverage">generalTaxonomicCoverage&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#NonEmptyStringType">res:NonEmptyStringType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>A description of the range of taxa addressed in
              the data set or collection.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>"All vascular plants were identified to family or
              species, mosses and lichens were identified as moss or
              lichen."<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="taxonomicClassification">taxonomicClassification&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="#TaxonomicClassificationType">TaxonomicClassificationType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Information about the range of taxa addressed in the
        data set or collection. See the Type definition for more information.</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="taxonRankName">taxonRankName&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#NonEmptyStringType">res:NonEmptyStringType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The name of the taxonomic rank for which the
            Taxon rank value is provided. This field allows for the name one
            of the accepted levels of Taxa.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>'Kingdom', 'Division/Phylum', 'Class', 'Order',
            'Family', 'Genus', and 'Species'<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="taxonRankValue">taxonRankValue&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#NonEmptyStringType">res:NonEmptyStringType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The name representing the taxonomic rank of the
            taxon being described. The values included may be referenced from
            an authoritative source such as the Integrated Taxonomic
            Information System (ITIS)in the U.S. (http://www/itis.usda.gov)
            and in Canada (http://sis.agr.gc.ca/pls/itisca/taxaget). Also,
            Species2000 is another source of taxonomic information, found at
            (http://www.sp2000.org)<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Acer would be an example of a genus rank value, and
            rubrum would be an example of a species rank value, together
            indicating the common name of red maple. It is recommended to
            start with Kingdom and include ranks down to the most detailed
            level possible.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="commonName">commonName&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#NonEmptyStringType">res:NonEmptyStringType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Specification of applicable common names. These
            common names may be general descriptions of a group of organisms
            if appropriate.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>insects, vertebrate, grasses, waterfowl, vascular
            plants, red maple.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="taxonomicClassification">taxonomicClassification&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">This element has no default value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext">Type: </span><a class="sitelink" href="#TaxonomicClassificationType">TaxonomicClassificationType</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Information about the range of taxa addressed in the
        data set or collection. See the Type definition for more information.</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">
<h2>Attribute Definitions:</h2>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" class="tablehead"><a class="sitelink" name="system">system</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Type: </span><span class="plaintext"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#SystemType">res:SystemType</a></span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Use: </span><span class="plaintext">optional</span>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" class="tablehead"><a class="sitelink" name="scope">scope</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Type: </span><span class="plaintext"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#ScopeType">res:ScopeType</a></span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Use: </span><span class="plaintext">optional</span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Default value: </span><span class="plaintext">document</span>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" class="tablehead"><a class="sitelink" name="system">system</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Type: </span><span class="plaintext"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#SystemType">res:SystemType</a></span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Use: </span><span class="plaintext">optional</span>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" class="tablehead"><a class="sitelink" name="scope">scope</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Type: </span><span class="plaintext"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#ScopeType">res:ScopeType</a></span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Use: </span><span class="plaintext">optional</span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Default value: </span><span class="plaintext">document</span>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" class="tablehead"><a class="sitelink" name="id">id</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Type: </span><span class="plaintext"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#IDType">res:IDType</a></span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Use: </span><span class="plaintext">optional</span>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" class="tablehead"><a class="sitelink" name="system">system</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Type: </span><span class="plaintext"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#SystemType">res:SystemType</a></span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Use: </span><span class="plaintext">optional</span>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" class="tablehead"><a class="sitelink" name="scope">scope</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Type: </span><span class="plaintext"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#ScopeType">res:ScopeType</a></span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Use: </span><span class="plaintext">optional</span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Default value: </span><span class="plaintext">document</span>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" class="tablehead"><a class="sitelink" name="id">id</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Type: </span><span class="plaintext"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#IDType">res:IDType</a></span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Use: </span><span class="plaintext">optional</span>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" class="tablehead"><a class="sitelink" name="id">id</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Type: </span><span class="plaintext"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#IDType">res:IDType</a></span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Use: </span><span class="plaintext">optional</span>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" class="tablehead"><a class="sitelink" name="system">system</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Type: </span><span class="plaintext"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#SystemType">res:SystemType</a></span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Use: </span><span class="plaintext">optional</span>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" class="tablehead"><a class="sitelink" name="scope">scope</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Type: </span><span class="plaintext"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#ScopeType">res:ScopeType</a></span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Use: </span><span class="plaintext">optional</span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Default value: </span><span class="plaintext">document</span>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" class="tablehead"><a class="sitelink" name="id">id</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Type: </span><span class="plaintext"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#IDType">res:IDType</a></span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Use: </span><span class="plaintext">optional</span>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">
<h2>Complex Type Definitions:</h2>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="Coverage">Coverage&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">
              </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A choice of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A choice of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#geographicCoverage">geographicCoverage</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> OR </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#temporalCoverage">temporalCoverage</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> OR </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#taxonomicCoverage">taxonomicCoverage</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#ReferencesGroup">res:ReferencesGroup</a></td><td class="tablepanel">&nbsp;</td><td class="tablepanel">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Attributes: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Default Value: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#id">id</a></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">optional</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#system">system</a></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">optional</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#scope">scope</a></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">optional</span></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">document</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>This field is a container for the spatial, temporal
        and taxonomic coverages that apply to various resources, often dataset
        resources.  Please see the individual descriptions of the sub fields for
        more detail.
        <br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the individual sub fields for specific
        examples.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="TemporalCoverage">TemporalCoverage&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">
              </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A choice of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A choice of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#singleDateTime">singleDateTime</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel">unbounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> OR </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#rangeOfDates">rangeOfDates</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#ReferencesGroup">res:ReferencesGroup</a></td><td class="tablepanel">&nbsp;</td><td class="tablepanel">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Attributes: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Default Value: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#id">id</a></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">optional</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The temporal coverage fields are intended to be used
        in describing the date and time of an event. It allows for three
        general descriptions: a single date or time, multiple dates or times, and a
        range of date or times.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the individual sub fields for specific
        examples.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="SingleDateTimeType">SingleDateTimeType&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">
              </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A choice of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A sequence of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#calendarDate">calendarDate</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#time">time</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> OR </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#alternativeTimeScale">alternativeTimeScale</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>The SingleDateTimeType field is intended to describe a
        single date and time for an event. There is a choice between two
        options: a calendar date with a time, or a geologic
        age.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the individual sub-elements for
        example.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="GeographicCoverage">GeographicCoverage&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">
              </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A choice of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A sequence of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#geographicDescription">geographicDescription</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#boundingCoordinates">boundingCoordinates</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#datasetGPolygon">datasetGPolygon</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel">unbounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> OR </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#ReferencesGroup">res:ReferencesGroup</a></td><td class="tablepanel">&nbsp;</td><td class="tablepanel">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Attributes: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Default Value: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#id">id</a></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">optional</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#system">system</a></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">optional</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#scope">scope</a></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">optional</span></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">document</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Geographic Coverage is a container for spatial
        information about a a project, a resource, or an entity within a
        resource. It is meant for general information and not for accurate
mapping.  More specific information, including mapping projections, is covered by EML in
the spatialReference schema.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the individual sub-elements for specific
        examples.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="GRingPointType">GRingPointType&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">
              </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A sequence of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#gRingLatitude">gRingLatitude</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#gRingLongitude">gRingLongitude</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>A single geographic location.  This is useful if you
        register your datasets by a single geospatial point, such as the
        lat/long of your research station.</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="TaxonomicCoverage">TaxonomicCoverage&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">
              </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A choice of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A sequence of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#taxonomicSystem">taxonomicSystem</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#generalTaxonomicCoverage">generalTaxonomicCoverage</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#taxonomicClassification">taxonomicClassification</a></td><td class="tablepanel">required</td><td class="tablepanel">unbounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> OR </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="eml-resource.html#ReferencesGroup">res:ReferencesGroup</a></td><td class="tablepanel">&nbsp;</td><td class="tablepanel">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Attributes: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Default Value: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#id">id</a></td><td class="tablepanel"><span class="plaintext">optional</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Taxonomic Coverage is a container for taxonomic
        information about a project, a resource, or an entity within a
        resource.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>Please see the individual sub-fields for specific
        examples.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="1"><a class="sitelink" name="TaxonomicClassificationType">TaxonomicClassificationType&nbsp; </a></td><td class="tablehead" colspan="1">
              </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" class="tablepanel"> Content of this field: </td><td class="tablepanel"> Description of this field: </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<table class="tabledefault" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Elements: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> Use: </span></td><td class="tablepanel" valign="top"><span class="boldtext"> How many: </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3"> A sequence of (</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#taxonRankName">taxonRankName</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#taxonRankValue">taxonRankValue</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#commonName">commonName</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel">unbounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel"><a class="sitelink" href="#taxonomicClassification">taxonomicClassification</a></td><td class="tablepanel">optional</td><td class="tablepanel">unbounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel" colspan="3">)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>Information about the range of taxa addressed in the
        data set or collection. It is recommended that one provide information
        starting from the taxonomic rank of kingdom, to a level which reflects
        the data set or collection being documented. The levels of Kingdom,
        Division/Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species should be
        included as ranks as appropriate. Because the taxonomic ranks are
        hierarchical, the Taxonomic Classification field is self-referencing to
        allow for an arbitrary depth of rank, down to
        species.<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>The Taxonomic Classification field consists of a sequence
        of 4 fields: taxonomic rank, taxonomic rank value, common name, and
        finally Taxonomic Classification (self-referencing). Please see the
        sub-fields for specific examples.<br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">
<h2>Simple Type Definitions:</h2>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablehead" colspan="2">
<h3>
<a class="sitelink" name="GRingType">GRingType</a>
</h3>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tablepanel">
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Derived from: </span><span class="boldtext">xs:string</span> (by xs:restriction) </p>
<p>
<span class="boldtext">Allowed values: </span>
<ul></ul>
</p>
</td><td valign="top" class="tablepanel" colspan="1">
<blockquote>
          
            
<p>A set of ordered pairs of floating-point numbers,
        separated by commas, in which the first number in each pair is the
        longitude of a point and the second is the latitude of the point.
        Longitude and latitude are specified in decimal degrees with north
        latitudes positive and south negative, east longitude positive and west
        negative</p>
            
<p>Note on the relationship to FGDC:
        This element is generally analogous to the FGDC component for ring, 
        although implemented somewhat differently. Documentation for FGDC
        states that 4 points are required to define a polygon, and the first and last 
        should be identical, although this is not enforceable in XML Schema. In addition,
        EML does not enforce any pattern on the string used for a GRingType, so that
        it may be used differently as a child of EML's &lt;datasetGPolygonOuterGRing&gt;  
        or &lt;datasetGPolygonExclusionGRing&gt; elements.
        If authors of EML instance documents wish the contents of this element  to be 
        directly translated to FGDC, they should comply with the example below when
        constructing their strings. Alternatively, in most cases, a sequence of gRingPoints 
        can be used in EML instances, which can be processed into content for an 
        FGDC Data Set G-Polygon G-Ring.</p>
          
        
<br>
<span class="boldtext">Example(s): </span>
<br>This is an acceptable gRing:
<br>
        12, 2.0987
        12, -7.5555
        34.345,10.40
        <br>However, for translation to FGDC, construct your string like this:<br>
        -119.453,35.0
        -125,37.5555
        -122,40
        -119.453,35.0
        <br>
</blockquote>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">
<h2>Group Definitions:</h2>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p class="contact"> Web Contact: <a href="mailto:jones@nceas.ucsb.edu">jones@nceas.ucsb.edu</a>
</p>
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